Thief King Meets Half Demon
by gambitandme
Summary: Previously known as WHEN TWO WHITE HAIRED BISHIES PATHS CROSS.Kagome meets a very strange boy at school: He has white hair, sticky fingers, and his body is the host to a 5,000 year old spirit. He's everyone's favorite Tomb Raider BAKURA! InuYGO xover
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Now, you know I don't own either InuYasha or YuGiOh, cause if I did, you know that they would be wearing loincloths and feeding me grapes.

A/N: This is taking place somewhere in the middle of the shard hunt, but after Battle City. The way that Bakura and Ryou talk to each other is mostly inspired by Lizeth's writings. check her out! It's amazing!

/**Yami talking to Ryou**/

/Ryou talking to Yami/

_Kagome's inner thoughts._

TWO WHITE HAIRED BISHIES' PATHS CROSS

"Whadda mean you're going back?" InuYasha bellowed. "You just got here!"

"If by 'just got here' you mean 'haven't been to my realm in a month' then yes I did just get here, but I have to go again," Kagome yelled back, easily matching the ferocity in his voice.

They were all sitting by the fire waiting patiently for the day to start. The stars were out and the blooming flowers' scent drifted along the wind. It even reached them out in the middle of the forest. It could possibly be called romantic if it weren't for the verbal wrestling match that was taking place.

"And so it starts again," Miroku mumbled.

"Wonder how long it will last this time?" said Sango.

"Probably the same as last time," Shippo chimed in.

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" InuYasha snapped at the trio. He then directed his attention toward Kagome. "We just started a jewel shard hunt! You can't leave now!"

"I'm sorry! But I really have to go! I just have a pile of school work that's getting bigger, my grandfather is still making up ridiculous excuses for my absence, I miss my family, not to mention my friends," Kagome gushed, not quite realizing how much she was talking. "I just have to go home! Besides, it's not up to you when I get to leave, it's my own decision."

For once in InuYasha's life, he was speechless. "Fine," he said quietly. "Go."

Kagome was scared by the stoic tone of his voice. "What?" she squeaked, surprised. "Just like that?"

InuYasha glared at her. "What! A second ago you were practically crying. If it's really that important to you, just leave."

"Are you feeling alright, InuYasha?" Shippo asked bringing a hand to the half-demon's forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

"Will you get offa me, runt? It's obviously pointless to argue with Kagome since she's just gonna leave anyway. Why bother?"

"That settles it then!" Miroku declared hoping to clear the air. "Kagome will leave in the morning! Now, Lady Kagome-"

"Hmmmm?"

"Be sure to be careful when you go back to your time," Miroku warned.

"It'll be fine, Miroku!" Kagome reassured. "I'll be sure not to tangle with any evil spirits while I'm home, ok? I'll just take it easy, finish my work, and then come back here! Don't you worry!"

"One more thing, Kagome," Shippo said quietly. "Be sure to bring back lot's of Ninja food!"

"I won't disappoint!" Kagome said, grabbing Shippo and pulling him close. "I'll bring all of your favorite foods!"

"Let's get to bed," Sango advised. "You have an early morning, Kagome, and we have to figure out what to do while you're away."

"How long are you gonna be gone, anyway?" Shippo asked looking up from his perch on Kagome's lap.

"Any where from a few days to a week," Kagome said smiling.

"A WEEK! ARE YOU CRAZY! YOU DON'T NEED A WEEK!" InuYasha exploded.

"I DO IF I'M GONNA GET ANYTHING DONE!" Kagome screamed. "IT'S AMAZING I'VE LASTED THIS LONG WITHOUT ANY TRIPS HOME! IT'S AMAZING THAT I HAVEN'T GONE COMPLETELY INSANE WITH YOU AROUND!"

"Here we go again," Miroku started.

----------------

"Well, this is interesting," Ryou muttered out loud. "Only ten minutes on the premises and all ready I'm in the principle's office."

**/I know./** Yami Bakura drawled. **/I thought we were gonna be here in 30 seconds flat./**

/This is just a rare treat for you, isn't it?/ Ryou said slightly annoyed.

**/Don't test me, or I will make you do something that is not only embarrassing, but also permanent./**

Ryou, while having this internal conflict, was completely oblivious to the gray haired secretary that was standing above him. She had been standing there saying his name for nearly 30 seconds.

"Mr. Bakura!" the sharp-eyed woman screeched.

Ryou's head instantly snapped up, as his eyes came upon her face. "Oh, hello," he stammered.

"Did you not hear me saying your name? I practically shouted it 10 times, at least."

"Ummm," Ryou's tongue just didn't seem to work. "Sorry, I was kinda talking to myself."

"Well, the principal will see you now," she told him looking at him sternly.

"Uhhhhhh, thanks."

**/Smooth./** Yami Bakura heckled.

Ryou got up very slowly, and followed the signs to the associate principal's office. He quickly checked the name above the door before knocking.

"Come in," a booming voice from within called.

"Mr. Sterling?" Ryou poked his head into the small office. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Inside the small office, a very large bald man sat at a tiny desk. It was almost comical seeing his large girth obviously struggling against the strain of the small oak desk. He had a jolly face with rosy read cheeks and small round glasses, and to top it all off, he sported a large sandy colored mustache.

"Mr….Bakura," Principal Sterling said after checking the name on the small manila folder he had in his large ruddy hands. "We see that you have just transferred here from Domino High. I am your personal principal covering names A through F and I want to personally welcome you to our school. I try to put the 'pal' back in principal."

**/Oooooh. Please let me kill him./**

/Behave, Yami./

/**Just a little maiming? Please?/**

"Your first hour class is…" he paused as he read from the folder, "Math, with Mr. Takanishi. His class has already started, but Ms. Ivra out there will give you a pass." Mr. Sterling stood up and handed Ryou his schedule. "Again, let me welcome you to our school."

Ryou stood up, bowed, and walked over to the grey-haired secretary in the main office. She gave him a pass and directions to his first class.

**/This is going to be a fun year,/** Yami Bakura snarled. **/Do we really have to spend all this time with these stupid mortals?/**

/Not this year, Yami./Ryou warned. /We are going to stay at this school for as long as possible. I actually like it here. I don't want to leave another school, again./

**/Don't bitch to me, weakling. We didn't have to leave those schools, you chose to./**

/You didn't leave me any choice! There was no way we could have stayed!/

**/Be a man for once in your life! Besides, the fire was your idea./**

/Quiet, we're here./

Ryou stuck his head inside the classroom. "Ummmm. Mr. Takanishi? I'm Ryou Bakura. I just transferred here." He handed his pass to the middle aged man and took in his appearance. Mr. Takanishi was a calm, skinny man who wore small round wire framed glasses and had a horrible comb-over; The instant Yami Bakura saw him, he burst out laughing.

**/Look at that headpiece!/** Yami Bakura howled. **/He looks like a Japanese Donald Trump! Except a lot more dumpy!/**

/Quiet, Yami./

"Ahhh, yes, Mr. Bakura," the short Japanese math teacher said. "We've been expecting you. You can go and sit next to Kagome." He pointed to an empty seat next to a sleeping girl. "Kagome," he said, a little louder. "KAGOME!"

The pretty Japanese girl awoke with a start. "Yes, sir! I'm awake sir!"

Ryou made his way over to the girl and sat down. "Uhhh, hi," he said to her. "I'm Ryou."

Kagome stared at him.

**/She looks like she's in shock./**

"So….do you like this class?" Ryou asked her.

Kagome continued to stare at him with her mouth hanging open a little.

**/Do you think you should slap her a little?/**

"Is Mr. Takanishi a nice teacher?"

Kagome's eyes began to twitch.

**/Does she speak English?/**

"Are you Kagome?" he said looking at her with a weird gleam in his eye.

Kagome, awakened by the sound of her name, answered, "Yes. Yes, I am, and you are?"

"I'm Ryou, I just moved here."

"Ok," was all that Kagome could say and she turned her eyes forward.

_He has white hair! Like a demon! _She thought to herself. _Strange though, I don't sense any demon aura around him. There is that strange, almost evil glow in his eyes though. I'm pretty sure he's not a demon. He's actually kind of cute. But the hair!_

Kagome looked up at the new boy. Despite the snowy locks, he seemed to be a regular guy. Kagome couldn't see his ears, but she was pretty sure they weren't pointy. He did seem sad though. Not a tears-tears-crying kind of sad, but a quiet-i-don't-wanna-talk-about-it sad. She was, in fact, so caught up in trying to pinpoint the type of sad Ryou had, she didn't notice the teacher calling her name.

"KAGOME!" Mr. Takanishi bellowed coming to stand beside her desk. "Are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, sir," Kagome stammered. "I was just kinda talking to myself."

Ryou looked up with wide eyed amazement.

**/Wow./** Yami Bakura said dryly. **/She's as big a freak as you are./**

--------

TBC. By the way, I'm doing this as a three-reviews to continue sort of thing. That way, I can tell if someone wants to read it and I should continue, or if I should just stop and burn the entire thing in a trashcan by the park. So please, READ AND REVIEW! Tell me anything! All forms of criticism accepted, even flames! we've all flamed a few ppl, c'mon now.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everybody! Thank you all so very much for reviewing! You made my day! You should be expecting a new chapter, every weekend or so. Now: down to business.

Last chapter there were some formatting issues (I spent some time fixing them) and I hope that this chapter turns out better.

Again:

/**Yami talking to Ryou**/

/Ryou talking to Yami/

_Kagome's inner thoughts._

Both Yami and Ryou may be called Bakura, but only when he's being neutral.

Thanks again for reading and ENJOY!

----------

"Kagome?" Mr. Takanishi said after class. "Would you please show the new student around?"

Kagome looked at the white haired boy with apprehension. Did she really want to spend time with this odd boy?

_He seems kind, but sorta weird. I guess I should help him; it would be the nice thing to do. I'll just keep my distance._

"Of course, sir. I'll give him a tour," Kagome looked up at her teacher.

"You do know that the question was rhetorical, right? You don't really have a choice," Mr. Takanishi said as he looked over the brims of his glasses. "It would really help me out, however, if you could show him a little courtesy."

"Yeah, sure. I'd be happy to." Kagome walked over to the new boy. Ryou was looking out a window at the children playing across the street. He enjoyed watching them throw the leaves above their heads as they played.

/I never really got to do that./ Ryou sighed.

/**Leaves aren't my style.**/ Bakura growled in response.

/No, I mean, I never really got to be a kid. You were always dragging me off to do something illegal and-/

/**What do you mean DRAGGED you? I make the decisions when it comes to recreation. If I'm feeling charitable I may let you figure out something to do on your own, but only if I'm strapped for amusement.**/

"Ryou?" The white haired hikari jumped about a foot in the air.

"Whoa!" He yelped, startled by a new voice. He turned around to face an equally surprised Kagome. "Sorry," he apologized when he recognized her. "You scared me. I…thought I was hearing voices."

/**Nice cover-up, fool.**/ Yami Bakura said sarcastically.

To Ryou's great relief, Kagome started laughing. "I know what you mean," she said. "I talk to myself all the time! Sometimes the voices in your head can help you to figure stuff out."

/Or they can trip you up./

"When is your lunch hour?" Kagome asked the now calm student.

Ryou pulled out his schedule. "Fifth hour," he responded after looking over the piece of paper.

"Excellent!" Kagome exclaimed. "It's right now; you have it the same hour that I do. C'mon," Kagome walked towards the door. "I'll show you where the cafeteria is."

Ryou followed Kagome out of the room and down a large hallway.

"So, where did you transfer from?" Kagome asked.

"Domino High school," Ryou replied.

"Did you have a lot of friends there?"

"Well," Ryou started. He focused on the memories of his old companions. He thought of Yugi, and Anzu, how they flirted and didn't even realize it. He thought of Jounouchi and Honda and how they always beat on each other. He became almost speechless thinking about the fun times they shared together. Him being part of a group.

/**Too Bad. Groups aren't my kind of thing.**/

/Yeah, you're more of a shadowy-alley-loner kind of spirit./

"Not really, I mostly kept to myself."

"I can understand that. Were you there for long?"

"What makes you ask that?" Ryou asked taken aback.

"I…" Kagome hesitated. "I kinda snuck a peak at your record." _And got a big look at your indiscretions. This kid has quite the police record._

"Oh," Ryou said looking at the floor.

/**Oh?**/ Yami Bakura mocked. /**That's all you have to say? She read our business.**/

/Right, she knows too much. Now we havta kill 'er./ Ryou said sarcastically.

/**Little punk's got an attitude? Well, that can be easily remedied**./ Ryou could feel his Yami try to take control.

/I'll behave. I'll behave. Just relax./

"It's alright!" Kagome said cheerfully. "I think everyone deserves a second chance!"

_Like InuYasha._

"So," Kagome asked. "What are you going to have for lunch?"

Ryou blushed. "Oops-" he began.

/**Hold on there, fool.**/

/Yami! I forgot my lunch on the kitchen counter!/

/**Lunch,**/ Yami said slyly /**Is taken care of. Reach into your left pocket.**/

Ryou winced. What sort of slimy disgusting thing did Bakura catch today? He was not going to try rat again. Yami swore that once you get used to the taste, you never want anything else. Ryou told him that was because when the choice is between rat or your shoes, you still need something to walk on.

Ryou, however, did as he was told and reached into his pants' pocket. He pulled out a faded leather wallet.

/**Compliments of Mr. Takanishi.**/

/How did this get into my pocket?/

/**Eat. I'm hungry.**/

Ryou shrugged, it was either that or starve his Yami. Both sounded particularly appetizing, but he knew that the meatloaf wouldn't shave his head while he slept. Yami, however, would if he got pissed off.

Kagome lead Ryou into the main cafeteria. "This," she said gesturing, "Is the place to be during lunch time. We can get WacDonalds, Taco Bells, what do you want?"

Ryou shrugged. "I don't care. What are you having?"

"I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich," Kagome held up her brown paper lunch bag.

"Oh," Ryou said. "What do you suggest?" he asked.

"Well," Kagome started, and then led him through the entire process of ordering your meal. Ryou ended up getting something that vaguely resembled noodles and paid for it at the register.

/Thank you, Mr. Takanishi./ he thought

"C'mon," Kagome lead Ryou over to a table packed full of Japanese girls. "You can sit by us."

As Ryou sat down, many of the girls squealed with delight. "Who's your friend, Kagome?" they chattered.

"Everyone," Kagome announced, "This is Ryou Bakura. He's new here, and I'm showing him around."

They sat down at the table, and Ryou could hear the girls gibbering away. "Ooh, he's cute." "Look at that hair!" "You just want to brush it!" "What a nice butt!"

/**Whoa!**/ Yami Bakura said. /**I knew I was good looking, but this is ridiculous.**/

/How am I supposed to eat this?/ Ryou said looking down at his dish. /It looks like someone ran over a snake, then cut it into strips./

"Can you believe Mr. Takanishi? He gave us a paper to do. In MATH!" Kagome complained.

"It's absurd. What are we expected to do?" one of her friends asked.

"We have to write about direct consequences and the impact they have on limits,"   
Bakura said staring at his noodles, prodding them with his fork.

The girls stared at him in silence.

/Not again!/ Ryou exclaimed. /Not again with the awed silence crap./

/**It's better than them staring at your ass.**/

"What?" Ryou asked.

"Are you, like, a math genius?" Kagome asked him with wide-eyed disbelief. "You've only been here a day, and you already know what Mr. Takanishi's talking about."

"You don't?" Ryou inquired. "It's not that hard."

"Do you think, you could, ummm-" Kagome stuttered. "Help me?"

Ryou looked at her with the same look a deer gives to headlights. A really pretty girl was asking him over to his house. His palms started to sweat.

/Yami, what should I do?/ he asked with a panicked voice.

/**Why should I help?**/ Yami said menacingly. /**What's in it for me?**/

/What do you want?/ Ryou asked heart pounding.

/**I want control for the afternoon.**/

/What are you going to do?/

/**Well, that's why I want control. I'm bored with this place, I think we'll take a walk./**

No, please, anything but that!/

/**You want my help or not?**/

/Fine, but no street fights this time./ Ryou loosened control over his body, and Yami Bakura took over quite quickly.

/**Just play it cool, weakling.**/ Yami Bakura said.

Kagome looked at the white haired boy. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that his hazel eyes just turned a shade of ruby.

"Sure," Bakura replied, doing his best Ryou impression (wide-eyed innocence). He turned his attention back to his "noodles." "When?"

"Are you doing anything after school?" Kagome asked.

"Nope." Bakura said calmly.

"Why not come over to my house and we'll work on the paper?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he replied stabbing his plate with his fork.

"Thanks, so much!" Kagome said. "Here's the address," She handed him a piece of paper. "See you at six?"

"Yeah, see you at six," Bakura stood up.

/Wait!/ Ryou shrieked. /Where are we going?/

/**We're gonna take a walk. See the sights.**/

/Shit!/ Ryou swore. /We're skipping aren't we?/

/**Think of it as taking in some culture.**/ Bakura said walking towards his locker, and dumping in his book bag. He grabbed a black trench coat and headed towards the door. /**But don't worry, weakling, we'll be back in a few hours. I've don't want to miss my date.**/

TBC

------------------

Excellent! I'm already writing the next chapter in my head, so be on the lookout.

Coming up: Bakura does his favorite thing---'goes shopping' and don't think that I forgot our other bishie! InuYasha just might have to come and get Kagome. The question is, who else will be there? ::cue the dramatic music:: dun dun dun!

Again I need 3 more reviews to go ahead. So please ppl! Review Review Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everybody! WOW! I am soooo happy that people enjoy my story! Yay!

Sorry this one is so late (I could throw a bunch of excuses at you, but I'm sure you don't want to hear them), but I hope you enjoy it now. It figures that as soon as I lay down a deadline for myself I miss it. Ironic, ne? Same formatting ideas as before, so if you don't understand, perhaps you should read the first two chapters ;-).

And, honestly, I really have to give credit to Lizeth (http: for her wonderful work. It really inspired me to write, and Yami and Ryou's relationship reflects that.

Also! There may be a new title coming up. Two White Haired Bishies' Paths Cross is a handful to write so something slimmer may come up. Perhaps: Thief King Meets Half Demon. Just keep a look out!

-

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIPPPPP!

Bakura jumped back onto the curb. "Whoa!"

"Watch where ya goin' ya bum!" a surly cab driver yelled out the window while shaking his fist.

"Hey! I'm walking here!" Bakura yelled back.

/Yami? Where are we going/ Ryou meekly asked. Yami was in control and that meant Ryou was generally kept in the dark.

/**I told you. We're going to take in a little culture.**/ Yami walked across the street careful to miss any cab drivers. He stepped on to the opposite curb and walked down the street turning the corner with a swoosh of his black trench.

/**It's time for you to learn about what I do on the weekends. Actually the Friday before a weekend.**/ Yami walked up the steps of a large building.

/Wait a second./ Ryou stammered. /Where are we/ He realized all too soon, however, that they were in the threshold of the Museum of Natural History. /Yami/

/**Shut up, fool.** **I'm here on business.**/ Yami bypassed a peppy looking tour guide as Ryou caught a glimpse of the pamphlets that she was trying to hand out.

/Ancient Egyptian artifacts/

Yami looked up at a sign on the wall and was about to turn left towards the exhibit, when another perky tour guide appeared and blocked him.

"Hello sir," she chimed in sugary sweetness. "Today we are showing artifacts from before 1050 BC from Egypt." She shoved a pamphlet at him.

"No, thanks," Yami stepped out of the way. She followed him.

"Really, sir." She said smiling a bubblegum smile. "I would recommend that you join our tour group. It's sure to be fascinating."

"No, really, I'm fine," Yami tried to step to the left to avoid her, but she matched him step for step.

"The experience will definitely be enlightening, and I'm sure that you will learn something," she cocked her head in a condescending manner.

/I don't think we'll ever get away/ Ryou said exasperated.

Yami sighed. /**I guess we'll have to join the group, then ditch it later on.**/ Yami situated himself in the back behind a large sweaty tourist and her large sweaty husband.

/Eww/ Ryou gagged. /Do we have to stand behind them/

/**This way we can sneak off during the tour and not be seen, nimrod.**/

"Let's start out," the tour guide said her voice too nauseatingly sweet to focus on, "with the ancient Egyptian tools." She strolled casually towards a glass display case. "This is a shadouf, it was used to raise water from the Nile, to help with irrigation. And this-"

/**-Is the most pointless thing we have ever done.**/ Bakura snarled. /**I'm gonna make a dive for the door.**/

"And now, for the real Egyptian treasure," the guide chirped. "The Pharaoh's Pearl-"

Anyone who was looking at Bakura at that moment would have seen the biggest double take ever performed. It was like his eyeballs had practically fallen out.

/**Did I hear treasure?**/

/Oh, boy. Hear we go again./

"The Pharaoh's Pearl was found in 1936 by Professor A. B. Hawkins in the tomb of Pharaoh Atemuyamikumen. (a/n: XD go ahead, sound it out). Archeologists have carbon dated this piece, and found that it is more than 3000 years old." The guide stepped to the left and revealed an onyx jewel. Upon closer inspection the stone had gold insets depicting a pharaoh with spiky hair standing next to a big triangle.

/Well, I'll be damned./ Ryou said softly. /If it isn't the pharaoh himself./

Yami, in the meantime, had been quietly calculating. /**Yes.**/ He growled. /**He does seem to show up in the most unusual places.**/

/Yami/ Ryou asked cautiously. /Is that the real reason we came? Are you scoping out a job/

Yami chose not to answer, but instead to grin wickedly. He placed his fingertips together and smirked. With that menacing action, he looked up studied his surroundings.

/**Yes,**/ Yami sneered. /**This will do nicely.**/

-

Kagome paced in her room. She had cleaned it twice; making sure to vacuum every square inch of carpet and dust every square inch of shelving. She even fluffed her pillows, putting away her favorite stuffed animals and taking out a very adult looking blanket (ie. Boring) to cover her stained comforter.

_Why am I stressing about this? It's just a boy I met in class, and he's just coming over to help me with my math homework. It's not like it's a date or anything._

She stopped pacing and walked over to a window. Outside, the leaves were falling lazily from the trees as her grandfather, just as lazily, raked them up. Kagome watched as her little brother snuck up behind her grandfather and scared the living daylights out of him. He jumped about three feet into the air, and landed in his giant leaf pile.

Kagome took out her bottle of jewel shards and held it tightly in her fingers.

_I wonder if InuYasha misses me? I have been gone for a long time. I should probably go back tomorrow. I hope they're doing all right without me._

She turned from the window and looked at her clock. 5:30. Only a half-hour to go.

_I wonder what InuYasha is doing right now?_

-

"Dammit," InuYasha swore. "Where is she?"

"Calm down, InuYasha," Miroku was meditating nearby on a rock. "She'll be back soon enough. In the meantime-"

"Enough with the meantime! It's been a week! This is ridiculous!" InuYasha snapped.

"If you're so worried, why not go after her, InuYasha?" Shippo chimed, "I'm sure that if she saw you, she'd be ready to come back."

"Yeah," InuYasha looked wistfully towards the horizon. "I think I'll go after her."

"You'd better hurry," Sango warned. "It'll be dark so-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, he was gone.

-

Ryou trudged up the doorsteps.

/Damn, I'm late./

/**Don't look at me, fool. It wasn't my fault the bicycle tire popped.**/

/You could at least have helped me patch it./

/**I'm busy.**/ Yami snapped.

/Busy with what/

/**None of your business.**/

/That means it's probably illegal./

/**Let's get one thing straight.**/ Yami threatened. /**How I decide to spend my time is up to me. You have nothing to do with it. And you'd better watch yourself or there might be an incident.**/

/What kind of incident/ Ryou asked, the panic in his voice slowly rising.

/**Let's just say that I will eventually get control, and there will be nothing you can do about it.**/

/Che./

_Ding Dong_

"I've got it!" Kagome yelled as she stampeded down the stairs. She took a quick look in the mirror, and opened the door. Before her stood a very tired, but very alert Ryou.

"Hi!" Kagome said cheerfully as she stepped aside to let him in.

"Hi," Ryou replied, worn out. "Sorry I'm late…my bike got a flat, and I had to walk and…"

"It's alright," Kagome reassured him. "You're only thirty minutes late anyway."

"Hello," Ryou heard a raspy voice behind him. He turned and came face to face with an old man.

"Uh, Hi," Ryou stammered. "Uh, Kagome? Who's the old man that's staring at me?"

Kagome blushed. "Grandpa! Cut that out." She paused. "Ryou this is my grandfather."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Ryou held out his hand, but the old man didn't shake it. He instead walked around the hand and got quite close to Bakura.

"You remind me of someone," he pondered, face inches away from Ryou's. "I can't put my finger on it, but there is someone you resemble."

/**The geezer has one-and-a-half seconds to get out of my face or I swear I'll-**/

"Grandpa!" Kagome panicked. "Why don't you go help mom with dinner?" She grabbed the old man by the shoulders and pushed him in the direction of the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," Kagome apologized. "My family's kinda weird."

"It's alright," Ryou said, holding in a snicker. Yami Bakura was still freaking out about being in close proximity with someone over the age of 33.

"By the way, do you want to stay for dinner? My mom's making spring rolls," Kagome inquired politely.

"Yeah," Ryou said. "Sure."

/**As long as I don't have to sit by the old fogey, I'll be fine.**/

"Good!" Kagome exclaimed. "We probably have time to get some studying in-"

"Kagome!" a voice from the kitchen called. "Come set the table!"

"Uh, I guess we'll eat first!" Kagome said, cheerful as always. She led the white haired hikari into the kitchen.

As soon as Kagome walked into the kitchen with Ryou, her mother asked, "Who's your friend, Kagome?"

"Everyone, this is Ryou. He's going to help me with my math," she introduced.

"Kagome's got a boyfriend! Kagome's got a boyfriend!" Souta taunted loudly.

Kagome and Ryou both blushed. "He's not my boyfriend!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs. She proceeded to chase Souta around her kitchen. "Come back here you little squirt!"

"So," Kagome's mother talked to Ryou as though there wasn't a wrestling match going on in her kitchen, "have you and Kagome known each other long? I don't think I've heard your name before."

"I just moved here," Ryou explained.

"Where from?" Kagome's grandpa asked, sneaking up on Ryou AGAIN.

/**What is it with this old guy and standing behind me!**/ Yami Bakura tried to gain control of Ryou's arm so he could whap the gentlemen on the forehead, but Ryou resisted.

/Please./ He begged. /No problems tonight./

"I moved here from Domino city," Ryou explained thoughtfully trying to calm down his darker half.

"Wasn't there a tournament there, not too long ago?" Souta asked, strained. Kagome had him in a headlock.

"Yeah, Duel Monsters," Ryou replied.

"I love that game!" Souta exclaimed shaking off his sister. "Do you know Yugi Moto?"

/**Why does that runt get all the credit?**/

"He's one of my best friends."

/Or was, until I left./

/**Would you stop crying over that! Friends aren't good for you, remember? Things happen.**/ Yami's mouth curled into a sneer.

"That's so cool!" Souta geeked out. "Can you get me his autograph?"

"Souta! Will you stop interrogating him?" Kagome asked. "He's my guest!"

"Come put silverware on the table, Souta," Kagome's mom said calmly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ryou asked as Kagome's little brother trudged reluctantly towards his mother.

"Oh, no, dear. Please, sit down," Her mother replied gently.

/…/

/**What is it, fool?**/

/She called me "dear"./

/**Yeah, moron, it's a pet name. Like muffin, or love-nut./**

/I know what it means! It's just that I haven't been called dear since…mother./

/**…**/

/Yami/ Ryou asked.

/**What?**/ he snapped, annoyed.

/Do you miss your family/

/**Enough. We aren't speaking of this anymore. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to plan a job.**/ Yami Bakura sneered retreating into his soul room.

Kagome's mom set the rolls onto the table. "Dinner is served!"

-

After everyone had eaten and fully questioned Ryou, Kagome rose from the table.

"Well, Ryou, I suppose we should start studying," she sighed.

Ryou got up as well, "It was really nice meeting all of you."

"Have fun studying, you two," Kagome's mom said.

"Yes, and keep the door OPEN! I don't want any great grandchildren for awhile!" Grandpa shouted.

Kagome turned a bright shade of red, but not as bright as Ryou. "GRANDPA!" She whipped around and grabbed Ryou's wrist, dragging him up the stairs.

"Kagome, you're hurting me," the white-haired boy whispered. Kagome pulled him into her room.

"Sorry," Kagome quickly let go, sitting down on her bed. "My family can be so embarrassing some times. What about your family?"

"Mine?" Ryou panicked. Should he tell her about his family?

/**Fool, if you don't do it, I will.**/ Yami threatened.

/Why/

/**Mostly, I just want to see you squirm.** **Now, do it. Or I swear I'll-**/ Yami slowly tried to take control.

/Fine, fine. I'll do it./ Ryou reluctantly gave in.

"I don't really have a family…" Ryou said then jumped into his whole story.

-

"The sun's already down, so I'll just sneak around to Kagome's window," InuYasha thought as he climbed out of the well. "Won't she be excited to see me."

InuYasha crept out of the shrine and up to the house. "When I see her, I'm going to chew her out for staying so long. It's been forever since she's been back. I'm sure she's had enough time to do what ever she needed to."

He came along the side of the house. "Which room is Kagome's again?" He counted windows. "She's gonna be mad when I interrupt whatever she's doing up there. Oh well."

-

As Ryou's story came to a close, he had tears in his eyes. Kagome stared at the floor, unusually quiet.

"…And now I live alone," he finished. He wiped his eyes.

"Oh, Ryou," Kagome said sympathetically. She looked up at him. _He looks so sad. I wish there was something I could do for him._ Before Ryou knew what was happening, Kagome had her arms around him. "I'm so sorry," she said muffled into his shoulder.

At first, Ryou was surprised. She was hugging him. But after awhile, he put his arms around her as well. It felt…well, good. Neither of them heard the window open, but they both heard a muffled gasp.

Kagome looked up. Her eyes turned wide. "Uhhh, hi, InuYasha," she greeted the half-demon standing in her bedroom. "How's it going?"

-

TBC.

Heh, heh, I hope this chapter meets your approval. There should be another one soon (and I mean 'soon' as whenever I can sit down and force myself to write). Remember: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 4

So, we're backtracking, the tiniest bit, up until InuYasha was about to go in. As you recall (which I'm sure you do) Kagome was hugging Ryou (Most innocently) when InuYasha came in and surprised them. :if you have no idea what I'm talking about, perhaps you should read the previous chapters:

NEW TITLE! Now this piece is known as

**THIEF KING MEETS HALF DEMON**

EDIT: was being poopy, so I had to reformat this! Sorry about the punctuation from before, hopefully it will be better now.

So, enjoy:

InuYasha climbed up the outside wall and silently opened the window. He had hoped to surprise Kagome, but was shocked to find her not quietly doing her homework, as he had assumed, but hugging a boy. With her eyes closed. Smiling. InuYasha must have gasped because she suddenly looked up.

"Uhhhh, hi InuYasha," she said sheepishly rising slowly from her comforter. "How's it going?" She walked cautiously over to the half-demon who was still standing; mouth agape, staring at Ryou sitting on her bed.

Ryou slowly rose as well

"Who's this?" InuYasha asked gesturing wildly, awakened from his surprised stupor by Ryou's sudden movement

"You've got to understand-" Kagome explained. "He's just a boy friend-I mean a boy…friend-I mean a boy who is a friend-ya'know like a male who's company I enjoy-that sounded wrong-I mean I'm friendly with him-I mean-" Kagome stuttered off.

Ryou peered at the white-haired half-demon from across the room. While he was mildly surprised by the half-demon's hair color, he was shocked at the dog-ears that peered out from within its snowy locks.

/That thing's not human./ Ryou thought.

**/No shit, Sherlock. Was it the ears or the fingernails that gave it away for you/**Yami scoffed.

InuYasha, meanwhile, was studying the white haired hikari. All the white haired beings he's come into contact with have been demons. There was Sesshoumaru, Hakudoushi, Kanna. He subconsciously connected the two: demons and snowy locks, but this strange mortal didn't seem to have any demon scent. And more than his sight, InuYasha trusted his nose. Still, this human was hugging Kagome. Just like Koga. InuYasha got mad just thinking of that wolf-brained putz. He turned an amber eye toward Ryou. Ryou instantly recognized rage in those eyes.

/Yami! Help me/ Ryou pleaded.

**/Fool. Do it yourself/**.Yami sneered.

/Please, Yami. Please help me…I'm scared./

**/Feh, what else is new? Fine, I'll take over for now, but I expect cooperation in the near future. No more bitching every time I do a job, understand?**

Without waiting for his hikari to answer Yami took control. Ryou winced as their spirits passed, causing uncomfortable friction.

/Thank you./ Ryou whispered, retreating into the shadows.

InuYasha did the tinniest of double takes as Ryou's eyes flashed ruby. There was definitely something weird about this kid. Something that made him mad and confused and scared all at the same time. And there was only one way that InuYasha expressed his emotions. He walked over to Bakura and took a swing at him.

Bakura had seen it coming so he leaned back ever so slightly and let InuYasha tap the end of his nose, quite painlessly. For this tactic to work, however, he had to act like he got hit. His hands instantly flew up to his face and he hit the floor.

"Ahhh!" He gasped in false pain.

"SIT! INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed. The half-demon was instantly transported to the floor with a thump.

"What did you do that for?" He yelled at her, pinned to the ground. "I barely touched him!"

"The fact that you hit him- I mean, really-I-" Kagome was so mad she couldn't get her words straight. Bakura used this opportunity of Kagome and InuYasha arguing to slip silently out the door.

"I didn't know who he was!" InuYasha screamed jumping up now that the spell had worn off.

"SIT!" Kagome yelled again, trapping him again.

"WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT!"

"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!"

"Auggggh," InuYasha moaned from the floor.

"Ryou, I'm-" Kagome looked up and noticed that the white-haired hikari was gone. She looked down at InuYasha. "Youyou jerk," her eyes wide with rage, she opened her mouth and was about to utter the words that InuYasha never wanted to hear.

"No, Kagome," InuYasha pleaded. "Please-"

Bakura walked outside holding the bottle of jewel shards between his fingers. "Thanks for the lovely evening, Kagome." He purred to himself. "But I'm afraid that I have to be leaving. I have a prior engagement."

He looked up at her window and spied the two figures shouting. He tried to make out what was being said, but the only thing he could understand was something that sounded like-

/Sit/ Ryou said. /Why is she telling him to sit/

/**Damned if I know. Maybe it's a game they play or something.**/

/Hey, waitaminute.../ Ryou said realizing that Yami was holding something. /Where did you get those/

/**They were on the girl.**/

/Why did you take them/

/**Call it a hunch.**/ Yami snarled. /**Now sit down and shut up. We're going on a field trip.**/ Yami walked slowly down the street. /**I gotta see a pharaoh about a stone.**/

Bakura walked down the street, eager to start his work. He stopped by a side alley where he had stashed his gear and quickly changed into his work-attire: black sweatpants, black turtleneck, and a black knit cap. He would definitely be hard to see in the night hopefully he could use this to his advantage when avoiding the museum guard.

Bakura walked to an apartment building next door to the museum. He tested the knob and found his assumption to be correct: the door was locked.

/**Easily remedied.**/ Yami thought as he pulled out a pouch full of picks and knelt in front of the door. Within seconds the door slid open and Bakura rose and entered the foyer closing the door silently behind him. He went slowly up the stairs trying hard to not make a sound. He reached the door to the roof and eased it open (after of course opening it with his pick set). He approached the edge of the building and visually measured the distance from his position to the roof of the museum. He pulled out a grappling hook (along with an appropriate amount of rope) from his black duffle and aimed carefully. He fired the gun and watched as the hook shot casually across the street, passersby below blissfully unaware of the goings on above them. He secured the end to a near by chimney, sure that the masonry would support his weight. He secured a clip to his harness and the clip to the line. He tested the line by lifting his legs underneath him and hanging above the roof. It would hold if he were to fall.

/Wait, FALL/ Ryou asked panicky. /There is possibility of falling/

/**I thought you said that you weren't going to bitch tonight?**/

Ryou quieted, but Yami could still sense his unease.

/**Look.**/ he said pointedly. /**These clips hold 99 of the time. The hook is firmly planted on the other side, and the end is secured in a thick knot the size of your kidney. We aren't going to have an issue.**/

/Ok./ Ryou exhaled. /I'll keep silent./

Bakura walked, tensing instantly as he neared the edge. /**Now, or never.**/ he jumped off the edge of the building, free falling for a few feet, but feeling the tug of the rope pull him against gravity. He hung suspended for a few moments enjoying his one and only view of the city.

/**This is the life.**/ Bakura murmured, before he grasped the rope and pulled himself along.

/Yeah./ Ryou said. /It's all swimming pools and movie stars./

/**I thought you were taking a vow of silence.**/ Yami replied snarkily. He reached out and lightly shook Ryou; gently enough not to permanently harm him, but with enough ferocity to make his hikari nauseous. /**I'm beginning to miss the quiet.**/

/Alright./ Ryou caved. /I'll shut up./

By now, Bakura had made it over to the other side and he unclipped himself from the rope. He stiffened immediately sensing technology on the roof. He dropped to the ground and lashed out with the shadow, quickly dismantling the cameras on the roof. He stood up slowly.

/Won't they notice/ Ryou asked lightly.

/**I made it appear that it's just interference.**/

/But all the cameras on the roof/

/**So we'll make this a quick job. The cameras were an unforeseen obstacle.**/

/Aren't you supposed to know everything that goes on during a job?

/**I'm beginning to miss the silence again.**/ Yami extended towards Ryou, but the hikari quickly quieted.

Bakura traveled across the roof and headed towards a skylight. He peered inside and spotted the stone directly to the left of his vantage point. He silently pulled out the cutter and placed the diamond on the glass. He cut a hole big enough for his size and quickly pulled up the glass circle and placed it next to him. Securing a rope to the roof using magnetic handles, he visually measured the distance from his current position and the floor. He subtracted about two feet (better safe than caught) and clipped himself again.

/**One more time.**/ Yami lowered himself into the hole and let it slip up around his shoulders until he was hanging by his fingertips. He let go and fell, closing his eyes as he felt the wind rush past his ears. He opened his eyes as his weight tugged against the rope and it snapped. Looking down, he realized that he was about eight feet above the floor, four feet to the left of the stone. /**Perfect.**./ He released the clip and touched the floor lightly. He already knew there wouldn't be a touch pad, but he had anticipated motion detectors. He reached into his bag and pulled out aerosol spray. He sprayed it liberally, and saw that beams in a two-foot perimeter protected the jewel. Reaching down he grabbed the mirrors he had stashed in his pants pocket. He set them up in a way where the mirrors reflected the beams back at the sensors, creating an opening for him to walk through. As he reached out to touch the glass case, the jewel shards he had taken from Kagome slipped out of his backpack.

/**Shit!**/ Yami thought, seeing the jar fall almost in slow motion. With cat-like reflexes he swooped his arm away from the case and caught the jar two inches from the ground. Unfortunately, two inches from the ground was were the beam had been relocated. Instantly, a shrill alarm went off and Bakura could hear dogs barking. /**Double shit!**/

He smashed the case open with his elbow and grabbed the stone.

/Well, I guess there's no more point in being sneaky./

/**Shut up, fool**./ Yami said quickly stuffing the jar of jewel shards and the stone into his pack.

/Shouldn't you have foreseen this coming/

**/SHUT up, fool.**/ Yami reached for the rope just as a Doberman rounded the corner. "Good doggie," he said gently.

/I guess you didn't plan for this either./

/**SHUT UP FOOL!**/ He reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of beef jerky. /**That'll do.**/ With one hand he threw the jerky at the dog and with the other he re-clipped himself to the rope and began to climb. The dog ignored the jerky and shot directly for the tomb raider.

/I guess he's a vegetarian./

Bakura scrambled up the rope and landed on the roof. He ran towards the edge and jerked. The rope he had used earlier had come untied. He looked down and smirked.

/Bakura.../ Ryou asked, sensing his Yami's sneer. He realized what the tomb-raider was contemplating. /NO/

But his cry was too late. Yami jumped off the edge of the building plummeting down six flights. He grabbed a flagpole to slow down his speed and felt his shoulder pop.

/**Damn.**/ He clenched his teeth. That was going to hurt in the morning. Good thing he wasn't going to be in charge. He used his slowing momentum to drop again landing on a bunting. He bounced on the pinstripe covering and slid the remaining eight feet to the ground. Grabbing his shoulder, he grunted and ran into a dark alley.

/**Damn, damn, damn.**/ He quickly popped his shoulder back into it's socket and cried out. "Augghhh. That hurt like the seven hells."

"Hey! YOU!" A voice behind him yelled. "STOP!"

Yami took off running down the alley and hopped over a dumpster. He mounted the fence and ran taking a sharp right then left then right again, his pursuers hot on his trail. He took another left down an alley and turned around, facing his trackers. He looked at the guards and summed them up. One was a stocky middle-aged man, the other a young lean buck; they were both museum guards, and therefore both adversaries.

As the two closed the distance the stocky one spoke, "Just hand over what ever you took, and we won't have to hurt you."

Yami threw his head back and laughed. "You? Hurt me? You couldn't even touch me if you wanted to."

The young guard tensed. This cat had a weird high-pitched voice and ruby eyes covered by white hair. He was no ordinary thief. "Who are you?" He asked his voice suddenly hoarse.

"I am a thief and a stealer of souls." Somehow he was able to look into both their eyes at the same time. "And tonight I'm hunting. If you leave now, your soul will remain intact. But if you stay and fight, you will wander forever, soulless and lonely for the rest of your days."

"Mardie?" The young one said, calling out to his companion.

"It's okay, Allen, " Mardie said as he approached Bakura. "Look here, Looney…" That was all he got out as Bakura quickly punched him in the gut and gave him a swift jab to the base of the skull, instantly knocking him unconscious.

"Come here, Allen," Bakura said waggling his finger. "Let me show you what happens to mortals who don't listen to their elders."

Allen turned stark white and ran the opposite direction.

/**Well, at least he'll have an interesting story to tell his friends.**/

/What about the other guy/ Ryou asked, concerened.

/**This fool guard? He'll have a hell of a headache, but no permanent damage.**/

Yami snaked down the dark street still clutching his shoulder. He quickly turned onto the main street and pulled the hat down around his ears to try and hide his hair. He shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched over, blending seamlessly into the crowd of home-late-workers.

/**I'm beat./ **He said.

He approached his apartment and opened the door with his key. He had a room on the second level and climbed the stairs, each step feeling like 600 steps and each stair feeling like 600 stairs. He finally made it to his room and, after unlocking his door and stepping in, he fell to the floor, absolutely exhausted.

TBC

AHHAHAHAAA! That was fun. I'm sorry, but I know nothing and that's a BIG **NOTHING** about thieving, so I just made it up like it was in the movies. I hope you enjoyed.

Thanks to everyone for reviewing, you don't know what kind of joy it gives me to check my mail now! Same rules apply for this chp, so reviewness.


	5. Chapter 5

Ohmygosh! I'm soooo sorry for how long this has taken! I was meaning to work on it during march, april, and may, but I made it into the musical at my school, so all my time was eaten up. Then I was gonna start in june, but I had exams and then a trip to france. I finally managed to write a little in france, but I was waaaaaaay too far from my computer. So I apologize! I'm also sorry for the crappiness of this chapter. Oh well. I enjoyed writing it, so maybe you'll enjoy reading it!

Happy reading!

...

"Dammit, Cory!" Bakura slammed his fist against the small desk in the tiny office. He glowered at the short, bald man in the eye patch, who was sitting behind the bureau. "Tell me how much this thing is worth!"

As the owner of a small pawnshop in the bad part of town, Cory McDillian was used to seeing some pretty sad items brought in. However, as a link to the black market, he had seen some of the most rare and extraordinary things in the world. The small onyx stone that he held in his hand definitely fell within the second category. It was in near perfect condition and was a rare find. Almost too rare. In fact, there were reports that a similar stone had just been stolen from a local museum. He frowned as he held the jewel up to his only eye. "I don't know, Loki," he said as he returned Bakura's glower. "I just don't know."

Bakura barely batted an eyelash at the name Loki, mostly because he used that as an alias when he did these sorts of "interviews." That way, if the link were caught, he couldn't be identified. I mean, who would look for a god of mischief anyway?

"Shit, Cory," Bakura swore. "I almost lost a leg to get that thing."

/And my shoulder still hurts/ Ryou commented.

/**Quiet, fool, I took the brunt of that pain.**/

Bakura stared down the man in the patch. "Tell me something. Anything."

Cory stared back. "The thing is, Loki, there's a problem with this particular item that you've presented," he held up the black stone. "It's rare. Too rare. I can't move it." He shook his head. "There's no market for it. If you had stolen diamonds-"

"Acquired," Bakura corrected with a sly smile. "I never steal."

/As if./ Ryou said scoffed. Bakura chose to ignore this particular jab to his ego.

"Right. If you had stolen diamonds," Cory continued after the interruption, "I could sell it to anyone. They're easy to move. Everyone wants to buy them. But this," he glanced at the jewel in his hand, "is impossible to sell without getting caught. The only way I could get rid of it would be to find a private collector."

"So find a private collector!" Bakura barked as he gripped the edge of the desk. "Dammit, Cory, at least give me something for my trouble."

Cory smiled. This was always his favorite part. He thought for a moment, "I could give you 15 for it."

Bakura blanched, "Thousand? That's crackers compared to what it's worth! You know this thing is priceless! It's worth more than 10 times that!"

"What do you want for it? And remember, I'm doing you a favor by taking this off your hands."

/Riiiight./ Ryou said sarcastically. /And I'm sure that there's no benefit for him./

"If the fuzz were to find it in your possession, you'd be booked for 10 at least," Cory smirked.

Bakura thought for a moment, himself, "I could ask for no less than 500," he said, looking out over the bottoms of his eyelids.

Cory spit out the coffee he had just sloshed into his mouth. "500…thousand? I hope you're talking in pesos." He bit his bottom lip in thought. "How about 350?"

"450."

"400."

"Done," Bakura shook the man's hand with his right hand and extended his left. "Pay up," he said quite simply.

Cory mumbled something about the truculence of today's youth as he turned around and looked at the large painting behind the desk. He swung it around on hidden hinges revealing a large safe door with an electronic keypad and a green gel square.

"Clever," Bakura jeered. "They'd never think to look behind the ONLY painting in this dingy little office."

"But the cleverness doesn't stop there, Loki," Cory reached out and punched in a code and placed his thumb against the gel pad. An internal computer read his thumbprint and Bakura could hear the click of the safe door opening. Cory reached into the safe and pulled out a remote control. He put in a 5-digit code and held the remote up to his eye. Bakura could just make out the tiny blue laser scan his retina. The remote beeped in response and Cory removed it from his eye. He pressed another combination of buttons and opened up a hidden drawer in the safe. He completely removed it and placed it on his desk.

"Being a little excessive there?" Bakura said as he raised an eyebrow.

"Remember, I deal with thieves and crooks. You can never be too careful," Cory said, as he looked down at the various currencies in the metal drawer.

"How did you afford all that?"

"Remember, I deal with thieves and crooks," Cory repeated as he counted up Bakura's money. "It is commonly known that thieves deal with thieves. I've been known to skim a little off the top of profits." He winked and handed over the bills. "Anything else that I can help you with?"

/Can we get out of here, please/ Ryou whined. /I reeeeeaaaallly need to wash my hands. I feel so dirty. Gah./

"Actually," Bakura started, much to his hikari's protest. "I was wondering if you could give me an estimate on something." Bakura pulled out the jar of jewel shards. "Do you know anything about these?"

...

"I wonder if Kagome has calmed down yet?" InuYasha approached her closed bedroom door. He had been thrown out last night after the incident and had spent the night on the bathroom floor. He eased the door open, "Kagome?" He poked his head through the crack and swiftly got a face full of pillow.

"Go away, InuYasha!" Kagome yelled reaching for another pillow for a second shot. "I still can't believe that you did that. I mean, how could you? Didn't you even stop to think that I was gonna have to face this guy in the future? Can you comprehend what this is going to do to my social face?" Kagome let go of the second projectile-pillow and instead flopped facedown on to her comforter. "I'll be lucky if I get a date in 5 years because of last night," Kagome groaned into her bed.

InuYasha sighed softly and sat down on the floor in front of the bed. "I'm……." InuYasha was having trouble speaking. "I'm….." he tried again. "I'm sooo- sooorrr-" He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," InuYasha finally got it out. He looked pained to do so. "I'm sorry," he said more steadily.

"You are?" Kagome looked up from her blanket. She eyed him over. His face was sincere and he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Well, okay, then," Kagome sat up on the bed rather quickly. "Let's go back!"

"Wait," InuYasha looked confused. "Just like that? I thought you were mad at me."

"I was…last night," Kagome admitted, blushing. "I thought that I might make you sweat it out a little more. But now that I know that you're sorry, we can just forget about it and go!" With that upbeat sentiment, Kagome ran out of the room, leaving a very confused half-demon standing by the bed.

InuYasha stared at the open door that Kagome had just taken flight through. "Women," he muttered.

...

Cory looked down at the small glass jar of jewel shards. "Interesting," he murmured, squinting. He picked up the jar and examined it more closely. "Very interesting."

"Is that an 'I know more than I'm saying "Interesting"' or an 'I'm faking it for the sake of looking good "Interesting"?'" Bakura asked, leaning in.

"It's a 'simmer down now "interesting"'," Cory said reaching out and pushing Bakura back behind the desk. He looked up at the tomb raider, "Where did you find these?" he asked with an inquisitive eye.

"I picked them up," Bakura said, nonchalantly. "Do you know any thing or not?"

Cory set the bottle down on the desk and looked the white-haired individual in the eye. "Unfortunately, not a lot. I do know, however, that this is part of what I think was the Jewel of the Four Souls. I also know that whoever possesses the jewel, wields great and terrible power. It is said that everyone who came in contact with the jewel met an untimely demise, except for the few elite who could control its powers. It also has been missing for hundreds of years. Now, where did you find them?"

Bakura didn't answer. He was too busy talking to himself.

/**What was that girl doing with them?**/ Yami asked with furrowed brows.

/That's a good question./ Ryou asked without interest.

/**Does it have something to do with her boyfriend, what's his name?**/

/InuYasha/ Ryou provided.

/**Yeah, something like that. What does she see in that thug?**/

/'Cause you can totally cast stones./ Ryou said with sarcasm.

Bakura was about to point out that his hikari had taken part in most of those illegal escapades whether conscious or not, but he was interrupted by Cory shaking him.

"Loki? Are you there? I've been calling your name for practically 10 minutes! What the hell happened?" the concerned pawnbroker asked.

"Nothing," Bakura squirmed out of the link's grip. "I'm fine." He looked up at Cory, "the truth is, Cory, that I found these shards. I just found them." And with that sentiment he grabbed the jar and bolted out of the office.

/Why the rush/ Ryou asked.

/**I'm gonna find that girl and ask her what the hell is going on.**/

/Is that…Concern…I hear/ Ryou asked with fake interest. /Is the great and powerful Loki actually getting attached to a mortal/

/**Of course not,**/ Bakura said, indifferently. /**Besides, I'm already attached to a mortal and it's a freaking pain in the ass.**/

...

"C'mon, Kagome!" InuYasha yelled up the stairs. "I want to get back before dark!"

"I'll be right there!" Kagome called. "Let me finish packing!" _Should I really be leaving right now? After last night?_ Kagome stopped putting clean underwear in her bag. _Should I at least call Ryou and apologize? No._ Kagome grabbed a couple of clean outfits and shoved them into her bag. _He won't mind. Besides, I don't even have his number. Still, _Kagome sat on her bed, _I think that I'll miss him. THAT'S SO WEIRD! I only just met him. Maybe I should leave him a note or something. STOP IT, girl. He'll be here when I get back._ Kagome sat up and finished her packing. "Let's see," she said aloud. "I've got my toothbrush, toothpaste, clothes, socks, clean underwear, girly things, that should be it." She picked up her backpack and turned around. "Now, all I need are the Jewel shards, and I can leave with InuYasha." She looked around her room. "The jewel shards," she said looking. "The jewel shards?"

InuYasha heard the scream from the bottom of the stairs. "Kagome?" he yelled with concern. When he received no answer, he ran up to her room. "Kagome?" he yelled louder opening her door. He found a very stressed out Kagome on her hands and knees looking for something. "What is it?" he asked getting close to her.

"The jewel shards," Kagome breathed. "They're gone!"

...

Ryou heard the scream from down on the street.

/Was that a man screaming/ he asked his Yami who was now in his soul room.

/**I think so.**/ Yami said, exhilarated. /**I do love a good morning torture.**/

/You're so twisted./ Ryou said, mouth agape. He got a hold of himself and sprinted up the steps of the Higurashi home.

...

"Where are they?" InuYasha screeched. "Did you lose them? Can't you just feel where they are?"

Kagome was calmer now, but InuYasha was just getting started. "Easy, InuYasha. We have to remain calm, and we'll find them. Now, I can't just feel them, because I don't sense them until they are activated. Just calm down, and we'll think rationally. Where could they be?"

InuYasha took a couple of deep breaths, "Okay, you look down by the well, and I'll look up here."

"Right," Kagome said and took off for the shrine. "I'll call you if I find them."

"I'll just come down and find you after awhile," InuYasha promised.

Kagome smiled and sprinted down the steps, heading towards the well where it all started.

...

/There she is/ Ryou said spotting Kagome's raven hair entering the family shrine.

"Kagome!" he called, but she didn't seem to hear him. "Kagome!" he yelled louder to no avail. He took off towards the shrine. He walked in and found her stand next to the well. She turned at the sound of his footsteps.

"I didn't find them here, InuYa-" she started looking up. "Oh," She said, realizing that it wasn't InuYasha standing there. "Hi there Ryou! What brings you here?"

Ryou walked over to her and pulled out the jar of shards, "I got home the other day and found these in my backpack," He said smiling. "They wouldn't be yours would they?"

Kagome was so shocked to find the shards that she simply looked up at Ryou and stared at him. Then the relief sunk in and she grabbed him.

...

Before Ryou realized what was happening, he got hugged. He stood there, stunned, for a second then reached up and hugged her back.

...

InuYasha couldn't find the shards, no matter where he looked. He tried under her bead, on the nightstand, on the desk, hell; he even went into her bathroom. That was a mistake. The instant he stepped into that room, he got hit with the strong scent of her perfume. And, of course, being part dog-demon, his super sensitive nose caused him quite a bit of trouble. He fell backwards out of the bathroom and ran out of the house. He had to get away from that scent. He came to the shrine, and it may have been the perfume messing with his mind, but when he found Kagome hugging the same boy as last night, he panicked. He wasn't going to make the same mistake of just swinging at him, so he did what any perfume-high half-dog demon would do. He tackled the couple.

...

Ryou was enjoying his hug quite a bit. Almost too much. His Yami started getting impatient.

/**Well, are you gonna ask her, or what?**/

/…./

/**Fool?**/

/…../

/**Fine, I'll ask her myself.**/ and with that heartfelt sentiment, Yami tried to get control of Ryou's body. He managed to take control the right eye, so he could see InuYasha's death lunge coming.

/**IDIOT!**/ he yelled, finally getting Ryou's attention.

/Hmmm/ Ryou asked contently.

/**You might want to move.**/ Yami said forcefully.

/Hmmmm/ Ryou asked, puzzled. But by then it was too late. InuYasha got a hold of both Ryou and Kagome and they toppled into the well, jewel shards and all.

...

TBC.

So what I lack in quality, I make up in quantity. This sure was a long chappie. Hopefully I won't take quite as long getting the next one out. Well, anywhoo…..remember to review!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Lookit, new chapter! Woot! Woot! Ain't it exciting?

So, okay, the same things apply as far as processing goes, so: Happy reading! EDIT: okay, was being poppy with my punctuation so i have to fix it. hopefully this works. You just gotta ignore the extra period after the question marks. It was the only way i could get them to show up! sorry.: Therefore, Carry on, brave reader!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Before Ryou knew what was happening, he found himself plunging headfirst down a dark hole. He also found that there was someone wrapped around his waist though he couldn't figure out whom and he didn't want to open his eyes to find out. He was going by the longstanding philosophy that if he couldn't see the ground then it didn't exist. Just to be sure, he braced himself for impact. It never came.

He merely floated down and found his feet touching the ground. At this point, Kagome, whom he'd been holding, let go of Ryou and looked down.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome nearly screamed. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"

/**Forget nearly screamed. She's full out screaming.**/ Yami remarked.

InuYasha looked up, his nose still red and irritated by Kagome's perfume and his excursion into her bathroom. "What did I do? What did you do? What the hell did you spray in your bathroom? And why didn't you warn me about it? You know how sensitive my nose is!" InuYasha stood up, and looked around. "How did we end up in here anyway?"

Ryou ventured a peek. He opened his eyes and stared at the same man from the night before. The same white hair and the same jealous eyes.

/**He's kidding, right?**/

"Do you really not remember?" Ryou asked, incredulously. "You grabbed us and threw us into this well!"

"Listen, what happens when I'm messed up on perfume is not my fault," InuYasha eyed the white haired hikari. "What are you doing here?"

"He found the jewel shards, InuYasha," Kagome pointed into Ryou's hand where he was still gripping the tiny glass jar. She grasped them carefully and put them into her pocket. "He was just giving them back, that's all," Kagome looked at him sternly.

"Then why were you hugging him!" InuYasha screeched.

Both Kagome and Ryou blushed. "I- I-," Kagome stuttered. "I guess I was just overjoyed to find the shards." Kagome glared suddenly, "Besides, since when is it your business whom I hug and who I don't? I don't remember ever appointing you Sir Hugs-a-not."

/**Ooh, that was clever.**/ Yami drawled.

"Um, excuse me," Ryou said quietly.

"Well So-ooo-rry, for acting worried!" InuYasha yelled, clearly ignoring Ryou.

"Why are you so worried about me hugging somebody?" Kagome retaliated, also ignoring Ryou.

"Pardon me," Ryou said, a little louder.

"I don't know who it was you were hugging! What if it was someone dangerous?" InuYasha bellowed.

"Don't you think that if I was hugging someone I would know who they were? Do you really take me for a fool?"

"EXCUSE ME!" Ryou shrieked.

"WHAT!" InuYasha and Kagome both glared at the white haired hikari for interrupting their argument.

"Where are we?" Ryou asked, pointing up.

"What?" Kagome responded, looking toward the mouth of the well. She saw sky. _What the-? Aren't we still in the shrine?_ She began to climb up the ladder on the side of the well, with Ryou following behind her. Kagome found herself climbing over the edge and into the meadow where the well was located. In ancient Japan. She would have turned around right then and there, but Ryou was still climbing up the ladder and he made it into the meadow before Kagome could tell him to go back.

"Where are we?" Ryou repeated while staring around. "This doesn't look like your shrine.'

/**No shit, Sherlock. Did you need Watson to help you with that one?**/

/Then where are we?./

/**….**/

/Yami?./

/**I don't know, yet. But I'm taking over.**/ For once, Ryou was happy that his Yami was taking control without asking. He was starting to get a headache from the confusion of not being in the shrine anymore. He was still working out the physics of falling down a well in one place and coming up some other place, when he retreated into his soul room.

"Kagome?" InuYasha hopped out of the well.

Kagome still had a sort of stunned look on her face; like she was watching a scary movie and she couldn't take her eyes off the screen. InuYasha walked up next to her face.

"Kagome?" he asked, slightly concerned. He waved a hand in front of her face. She didn't move.

_We're back. How did we get back? How did Ryou come back with us? How'd that happen? _

Meanwhile, while InuYasha was trying to awaken Kagome from her stunned stupor, Yami assessed the situation.

/**Let's see. Random-ass field. Middle of nowhere. Not in shrine. That's a good start.**/

/More important is how we got here. / Ryou stated quietly.

/**No, more important is what we're going to _do_ here.**/

/Shouldn't we find our where _here_ is?./

"Kagome," the simple and clear statement made by Bakura seemed to snap Kagome out of her trance. It might also have helped that he was a few inches from her face.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, shaking slightly from surprise.

"Where are we?" he asked with authority, still inches from her face.

Before Kagome could answer, InuYasha realized how close the white haired hikari was standing next to Kagome. Even though he was no longer Perfume-high, he still got deliriously jealous. As he swung his punch, Bakura reacted with lighting quick reflexes. He ducked to avoid the fist and swung his leg out to trip the hanyou. InuYasha leaped into the air, avoiding the leg. "What the-?" InuYasha thought as he flew through the air. "He's no ordinary human!"

"Where are we, Kagome?" Bakura grabbed Kagome by the shoulders. "How did we get here?"

"I'm not sure, but-" Kagome started. Suddenly she looked startled and shouted out, "Sit!"

Bakura spun around just in time to see InuYasha slam to the ground a few feet away from him.

"You didn't need to do that," Bakura stated quietly. "I knew he was coming."

"How did you-" Kagome started again, but this time was interrupted by a shout from across the meadow.

"Kagome!" Shippo yelled, bounding toward the young student. "You're back! I missed you!"

"Shippo!" Kagome hollered in response. "Sango! Miroku!" she greeted her friends as they appeared across the meadow.

"Lady Kagome," Miroku said grasping her hand with his and snaking the other toward her butt. He quickly received two elbow blows to the head as Kagome and Sango both countered his breach of personal space. "How good it is to see you," Miroku said rubbing his neck as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Which, unfortunately, was true.

"We were worried when you didn't come back right away. We're glad that you're all right," Sango smiled, still casting dirty looks at Miroku, who was very conveniently ignoring those looks.

"Say, Kagome," Shippo said his ears perking up. "Who's that?" he pointed toward Bakura who was jumping around like a flea, avoiding InuYasha's attacks.

"Well, that's-" Kagome started. _How am I gonna explain this? I don't even understand how he got here. The well should have stopped him, but for some reason he made it through. Does this mean that other people can get through? Will he be able to get back?_ Kagome decided, at that particular moment, that she should just tell the truth. The truth was always the best answer right?

-----------------------------------

Bakura ducked to evade a particularly swift punch from InuYasha, only to have InuYasha's other fist swing into his stomach, knocking the air out of him.

"Uggggh," Bakura groaned, doubling over. He dropped to the ground and rolled to avoid a rapid kick from the hanyou.

/**Damn, that really hurt.**/ Yami growled. /**Where did he learn to punch?**/

In an instant Bakura was on his feet, dipping and dodging while gracefully evading InuYasha's punches, much to InuYasha's chagrin.

/Another punch like that and we'll be down for the count!./

/**I'll be sure to avoid it then, fool.**/ Yami sneered, darting out of the way. /**But if I have to, I will take us to the shadow realm.**/

/Please, no. / Ryou pleaded. /Find another way! I don't want them to get hurt. /

/**I'll do what I have to do.**/

Bakura threw a quick punch to the left and as InuYasha fell for the fake, he landed a strong roundhouse kick to the half-demon's side.

"Heh, heh," InuYasha laughed. "You think that's gonna stop me? I barely felt that."

/**Shit**./ Yami swore. /**He can take a punch as well as throw one.**/

Bakura ducked to avoid a clawed fist and as his center of gravity shifted, InuYasha kicked his leg out, causing Bakura to land hard on his back.

"Now, I've got you right where I want you," InuYasha sneered, his claws inches from Bakura's throat as he crouched menacingly over the tomb raider.

"You do, huh?" Bakura taunted calling forth the shadows to envelop them. "It seems I'm the one who has you."

/No, Yami! Please…don't. / Ryou begged.

/**I'm sorry, but it has to be done.**/

Bakura dropped through the shadow floor, leaving InuYasha crouching over nothing.

"What the hell?" InuYasha murmured staring at the space that Bakura's body used to occupy.

"Something the matter?" Bakura walked up next to the hanyou and put his hand on his shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Bakura laughed at the shocked look on InuYasha's face. When they were in the shadow realm, Yami was in charge.

"I don't know what the hell's going on here, but I do know that no normal human could do this," InuYasha grasped the hilt of tetsusaiga, preparing to attack.

"You're half right, fool," Yami jeered. "I am no normal human. I'm a collector."

"A collector?" InuYasha repeated. "Of what?"

Bakura's eyes glowed crimson, "I collect souls, of course." A golden ring appeared around his neck, a pyramid, inscribed with an eye, in the middle. The eye began to glow, "and I want your soul."

/No. / Ryou spoke quietly. /We're not collecting this one, just erase his memory and let's get out of here. /

/**Why do you want to protect them so much?**/ Yami inquired with contempt.

/Please, not in front of her. / Ryou pleaded. /Just erase their memories and we'll go. /

/**Fine.**/ Yami snapped. /**But this will have consequences.**/

Yami reached out with the shadows and quickly subdued the struggling half-demon. He accessed InuYasha's memories and buried the ones involving the tomb raider.

/**When he awakes he will have no recollection of us. We will appear to be nothing but a bad dream.**/

/Good, now let's do the same to the rest of them and get out of here. /

--------------------------------

InuYasha felt the warm sun on his face as he lay with his eyes closed. It was not an entirely unpleasant feeling.

"Is he dead?" a voice cut through his mind bringing him out of his warm pleasant feeling.

InuYasha opened his eyes and saw his companions standing over him. "Auggh, get away from me," he waved blearily.

"Nope," Shippo said. "Not dead, just grumpy."

"Well, that's not a big change," Miroku affirmed. "I'd say he's alright."

"Where's Kagome?" InuYasha asked, noticing that she wasn't standing over him.

"She's over there," Sango pointed. "She's still not up."

InuYasha got to his feet and walked over to where Kagome was sprawled out on the ground.

"Kagome," InuYasha uttered. When she didn't awaken he called a bit louder, "Kagome." She didn't stir. "Kagome?" InuYasha asked, panicking. He reached down and shook her shoulders a bit. She still didn't move. "Wake up, Kagome!"

"InuYasha, what's wrong?" Miroku asked joining him.

"Kagome won't wake up!"

---------------------------------------------

Above the frantic half-demon, perched in a tree, Bakura viewed the scene with increasing smugness.

/Why won't she awaken?./ Ryou asked, beginning to panic himself.

/**Her memories of you were the most extensive.**/ Yami stated. /**She'll wake up eventually.**/ he assured. He leapt from branch to branch, traveling through the forest with ninja-like agility.

/What are we gonna do?./ Ryou mused quietly. The Tomb raider just smiled a wicked sneer, which Ryou took as a "whatever I feel like I wanna do."

Ryou sighed. /I guess I owe you./ He was quiet for a moment. /Alright, let's find something to steal. /

TBC.

--------------------------------------

Ahahahahaaaa! I'm so evil! Why won't Kagome wake up? What is Bakura planning to steal? Will Miroku ever get over his ass addiction? Find out next time on: Thief king vs. half demon!

Ok, just kidding. I got this one out sooner than the last one, eh? I know not fast enough shame oh well. I decided to use my weekend off to write so, happy Halloween!

And remember REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

Xoxo, Kt


End file.
